“Whatever it was,” growled the captain, “it was feeding on that shoal of fish, and when it made that dash it scared the lot away. There it is again! You, Joe Cross, take a good long careful sight. Don’t hurry. Slow and sure. My word, you ought to hit that, my lad! It’s a big ’un and no mistake. Silence there! Every man in his place. Slew the muzzle round a little more. Ready, Cross?”
“No, sir; want to lower a little;” and as he spoke the sailor thrust in one of the wedges a trifle. “That’s about got it, sir.”
“Looks as if he’d come to stay, doctor,” said the captain excitedly, as he bent down to glance along over the gun’s two sights, for the shoal of fish had risen once more, turning the beautiful smooth sea into a diaper-like pattern, while the strange object seemed as far as they could make out to be making a snatching dart here and another there, seeming to be like some whale-like creature with a long neck.
“Now she’s steady, sir,” whispered Joe Cross huskily, after taking the captain’s place for another sight. “It’s as near as I can get, sir. If you’ll give me the word.”
As he spoke the sailor drew back slightly, the captain cried “Fire!” and with a heavy, sharp crack a puff of white smoke darted from the muzzle and began to expand forward like a grey balloon, obscuring everything from the sight of the lookers-on for about a minute, before it rose clear, and then the darkening sea was all grey once more.
Chapter Nineteen.
Chubb re Sea-Serpents.
“Hah! Very disappointing—very,” said the doctor.